Yes! Thou Art Fair, Yet Be Not Moved
Yes! Thou Art Fair, Yet Be Not Moved - meaning Summary
Imagination Versus Outward Beauty
The speaker admits his admiration is partly an imagined projection rather than purely the beloved’s fault. He asks the woman not to scorn his confession, explaining that imagination shapes affection when the mind has little to receive. The poem frames love as a natural, lawful response—rooted in perception and creative fancy—acknowledging both the speaker’s tendency to idealize and the woman’s ability to inspire devotion.
Read Complete AnalysesYes! thou art fair, yet be not moved To scorn the declaration, That sometimes I in thee have loved My fancy's own creation. Imagination needs must stir; Dear Maid, this truth believe, Minds that have nothing to confer Find little to perceive. Be pleased that nature made thee fit To feed my heart's devotion, By laws to which all Forms submit In sky, air, earth, and ocean.
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